After completing my investigation of the Fuzzy Yards, I understood all of Sister Yotaki's activities up to this year.
However, the only thing I was able to confirm was that Sister Yotaki hadn't done anything dangerous other than the 'Magic Stone Human' plan. The only other thing that could be noticed would be the books of otherworldly knowledge that were written in between recuperation sessions.
The fact that there was nothing there was a fear of the opposite.
And it was only in the "fourth year of the new calendar" that this fear became visible.
The first time I saw it was right after I stole the Divine Iron Forge skill from the southwest Adventure.
On that day, I had obtained the results of my own newfound power at the workshop in the castle town.
Until today, the blacksmithing in Hoosier's was based on old-fashioned iron casting. However, with the new technology of 'divine iron smithing', the process of adding a technical formula to the iron was added. With this, the power of "magic" was added to the old iron armor, and the strength was incomparable to the previous one.
I wore the first prototype of this sword on my hip.
It is a sword made from the same magic-absorbing ore and is named Rufbringer.
I spent the last few days in my workshop, and the Rufbringer was a masterpiece. Its greatest strength is its ability to absorb even the power of the "logic thief". If I ever have to fight Sister Youtaki, I can nullify the 'Ice Power' with this. As planned, I got the weapon (item) for Sister Youtaki and I added one more card to my hand.
I walked around the grounds of Hoozeyers Castle, trying to show off my sword to my master.
At the end of my search, I reached the front of the knight's quarters - where I first encountered The One Who Steals Blood's Reason.
One young man was sobbing, pressing his forehead to the ground.
My master was standing beside him, but I stopped in a state of wariness.
The ruf-bringer at my waist chirped in time to the youth's voice and did not stop. My 'blood power' and 'reading' also continue to advise me that the presence over there is dangerous.
That's how bloody the young man was.
The thick magical power he wore, the habitual black hair that shook, the scars on his pale skin, and everything else was coated with the stench of death, to the point where one could only assume that he had matured in the midst of countless corpses.
The young man's body was distinctive. The body hidden underneath the ragged linen clothes was oddly pale, and was pale enough to pierce through if one tried to touch it. It appears to be some kind of special 'magician'.
I stealthily approach him to see what kind of monster mixture he is.
Then, seeing his true face, and even more so, seeing that he is holding one of the instructional books in his right arm, I spill a word.
'That ...... at the time?'
I thought of a boy.
He was the boy who guided me to the First Demonic Research Institute in Fania in Year Zero of the New Year. He was also the enemy who became a victim of our battles, but who endured the blood experiments and stood in the way as an avenger.
That boy had grown into a young man and appeared in front of us again.
''Aaaaah! Ahhhh ......, ahhhh ......!
And I was completely heartbroken.
He wept before the standing Master, spilling his tears and saliva as he mourned and muttered a prayer.
'The Great Messiah (Magna Messiah)' ....... Please help us ....... I don't know what to do anymore ....... I have no idea what to believe, what to ask for, how to live! Please, let there be light in this soul ....... The light of that day, once again to us! Please!
Finally, he clings to the hem of his master's clothes and shouts out with the force of tearing them now.
'Lord, please give me the light ......! Please, please, please! Please, aaaaah!
The face of the opposing master - it's impossible to see through the black mask of the example.
But without a doubt, the kind-hearted master must have seen the young man's heart, and his face must be just as distorted.
The master trembles, but answers clearly.
''Fafner, I am not your master. And the light, you don't need it anymore.''
What ......?
He did not expect to be denied.
The young man opened his mouth with a look of despair. Then his master shook his head and admonished him.
''Because you are already under the light. You survived that hell, you survived. You survived and made it to earth. That's why it's okay to let go. You don't have to cry anymore. ......
...... I'm in the light?
With a question, the young man looked up at the dark cloud-covered sky.
But no light seemed to be shining in his eyes.
''That's right. You're the only one who got out of that place. I know it's impossible for me to forget what happened in that place right away. But you have to forget it. You have to forget it and move on. ......
I'm the only one who got out: ......
With a wince, the young man stared at his hands. The master took his hand forcefully and made him stand up.
Eye to eye, he speaks of what is to come, not what is done, but what is to come.
'I'll say it again. You don't need a 'savior' anymore, you don't need a 'savior'. What you need now is a friend ...... or maybe a friend. With your new friends, you're on a new path.
Even I could tell that he was talking nicely, as I joined him in the middle of the conversation.
The young man facing me raised his eyebrows as I did, and tried to shake his head.
'Lord. I'll never be able to make a new friend ....... I've become such a figure--
Don't worry about it, we're 'friends' now.
Perhaps the master himself knows that it's a beautiful thing to do. On top of that, he tries to push through the impossible.
'So I don't want you to call me Lord. I don't need you to speak in such a grandiose way. You don't have to worship anyone anymore. ......
"Are the Lord and I 'friends' ......?
Yes. Let's live a new life for the dead Helmina. And be happy. For all of us.
'Yes, if the Lord wants to ...... no, Kanami, I will try ....... If you want to, you can go to .......
We'll be fine. Fafner will be back on his feet in no time. Unlike us 'reason-stealers', there's no such thing as a crack in his heart. ......
With that, the master took Fafner to the inside of the knight's quarters.
Then, not long after, he emerged from the building alone, alone.
Thanks to the 'power of the dimension', he must have noticed that I was visiting in the middle of the conversation. He immediately runs up to my side, where he was waiting nearby.
'Tiara: ......'
'Master, what's going on ......? Why was that boy then ......
It's a--
On the spot, the master's mouth explains the situation.
It seems that while I was holed up in my workshop, there was a report of an unusual situation in the land of Fania to the northeast.
Because of the urgency of the situation, it seems that he and Tida, the 'Stealer of the Dark Reason' who was able to move quickly, rushed in alone to solve the problem.
The end result was the killing of Hermina Neysha by the hands of Romis Neysha.
'-They were all right then, Tiara was right. Me and Tida were wrong. Our naivety got everyone else in trouble again. ...... If we had killed Lomis, as we should have .......
As I once surmised, the Romis guy couldn't give up his 'miracle power' and appeared in Fania again.
I could read from my master's short explanation that a lot of blood had been spilled due to his dark deeds.
'Because I didn't make it in time: ......
That's what the Master repeated, but that was my line.
I had read that Romis's vengeance perfectly in the skill 'Reading'.
If I had been there, I could have led to a better ending, such as "Fafner lays his hands on Hermina Nisha and sleeps forever in the depths of the earth.
However, I was unable to accompany him in that battle. It was just because of an urgent report during the process of confirming the power of the "divine iron smith"...
I will make it next time. I'll never make that mistake again.
It was at this time that I began to see a fading of my master's expression, which had been so bright for all these years.
And not long after that, the second "One who steals the truth" appeared in front of me.
This, too, was all over without my knowing it.
The young man was wielding a sword behind the knight's quarters, along with his Sith sister.
He had colored hair and a frail-looking face. I thought he was a new knight who could be found anywhere, but his sword - it was too beautiful.
It wasn't invisible to the eye.
My eyes, strengthened by the increase in level, were indeed able to follow the young man's sword. However, because I could see lazily, if I got close enough, I could read, "In the space of a breath, without even feeling slashed, Tiara Fuzzyaz's head would be cut off from her torso.
The young man had an uncharacteristic appearance, yet he was a mass of premonitions of death.
He was a quiet and terrifying death-bearer, as kind as Fafner seemed to be to me, who had been sprinkling the foreboding of death in plain sight.
I tried to get far enough away to steal what he was saying to his Sith sister.
However, the young man easily senses my movement in his blind spot and turns his attention to me.
'............? What, eh? Princess Tiara: ......!
I appear in front of the young man in contemplation, amazed at his good instincts.
Then he shrinks back nervously and greets me with a loud voice.
'Hi, Princess! I am Rowen, head of House Arrais! Um, you know, that ...... anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you ......!
'Oh, yeah ....... Don't be so awed. I'm not doing anything princess-like at all ....... Just think of me as one of the many diplomats out there.
I wanted to shrink back.
We were just facing each other, but I couldn't stop sweating cold. All along, the skill 'reading' has been appealing to me with the best warning ever.
Now I feel like a worm in a constant state of life-and-death control.
I step away from the young man and listen while hiding behind my Sis sister.
'Sis sister ....... Could this person be ......?
Yes, he's 'the thief of the earth'.
Why? Why? ......
Why? I'm a scout! Even though Fafner was knighted in the 'contract', he was still lacking in strength!
Who's a scout, ......?
It's ...... that, of course, is me! It's me, of course!
He stammered.
Sis sister often tries to deceive like a child.
I guess it's not a lie. But it's more likely that she's saying that she's taking credit for finding Rowen Alais with the help of someone else, as if she's the only one who can do it.
'Ah, ah--'
I was about to ask him the details of how it happened, when I realized that my throat was sticking up.
My throat was dry with fear.
I could tell that my stomach was tense with tension.
I writhe and manage to squeeze out my voice.
'...... hey, come here for a minute. Sis.
He can't even talk casually in front of Rowen Alais.
When he complained about it with his expression, the Sith sister nodded once and told him to move on.
'I need to talk to her. You stay there.
Rowen Alais is nervous about dealing with the apostles as well as the royals, "Ha! I answer shortly and continue to swing my sword in place.
I walk until I can no longer see my Sith sister and the young man, fearing that the sword will not cut off my head at any moment.
''...... Sis sister. First, let me hear that man's 'curse'.
I knew that if I didn't know what the source of that sword's power was, I wouldn't be able to overcome this fear.
''A 'curse'? Oh, the one where Tida and her allies say 'oblivion' or 'fascination'? Let's see, I'm pretty sure: ......
The 'curse' doesn't seem to be important to Sister Sis, and she puts a finger to her brow and tries to dredge up the memories. There are other things like 'death', 'disbelief', and 'self-doubt', but I wait for her to say them without saying them.
'The 'curse' of that thing, the 'difference'? Was it?
From the way she speaks, she is convinced that the Sith sister had little to do with the transformation of Rowen Ares into a "thief of reason".
And I'm going to keep asking questions about that different "curse".
The 'difference' i ......? Is that man going to get something wrong?
'You'll know it when you talk to that one. ...... Lowen Alais is bizarrely easy to misidentify and misinterpret. In addition to that, it has an unusual sense of entitlement, which, when combined with the fact that if a well-known person approaches you in the middle of a battle, the slightest mistake can get you killed, friend or foe alike.
"Hey, one little mistake and you'll get killed ......? Heh, heh: ......
Hearing that too direct killing 'curse', I take a step further away from the invisible Rowen Alais.
No wonder I'm instinctively terrified.
Now I am vulnerable to death from my master's 'curse'. No one could be more suited to kill me by mistake than the 'stealing of reason'.
''No, it's not a big deal, is it? Even if a well-known person dies, it's just a little bit less supplies (people). It doesn't mean that we 'apostles' and 'gentiles' will die, so there is no problem.
Sis. You shouldn't say that so easily: ......
I call her names and blame her for her ethics. But she doesn't mind at all and selfishly explains.
'It's okay. Anyway, that thing wants to kill the big guy. On the contrary, his 'curse' doesn't work on someone who doesn't look like a big guy. Which means kids like you are safe.
Even if it's ......, I don't want him to be too close to me. They've already recognized me as a princess.
Lowen Alais and I are incompatible with each other anyway.
Based on that fact, I judge that the pawns prepared by the Yotaki sister - which is also an assassin who specializes in "killing with a slight mistake".
''That's what Diprakra and Tida said, too: ....... 'I get it. I don't mind, but I'm going to send that thing to the front lines in a hurry. And that one was scouted as an immediate asset to begin with.
That's good, though: ......
Now, as long as they didn't get too close to their famous allies, they would be a fine force to be reckoned with.
However, with this, a piece called 'Grim Reaper' that must never be encountered was added to the battlefield. That also meant that the rule that I could not move to the place where the piece was located was added.
My anxiety is growing.
I'm also concerned about the fact that my Sith sister just said 'people' like they were expendable. Furthermore, I feel that she is becoming more discriminating and arrogant. If this continues, one day Sith sister might even use me, who has become one of her few friends, as well.
With so many dangerous pieces approaching, I thought my realm of motion was narrowing.
This is similar to the feeling I had when I was playing chess, which my master taught me.
Because I am too good at escaping, I feel that my sister, Yotaki, is using the entire board of the world to jam the game.
''With this, there are three knights from our 'Stealers of Reason'. These three knights have no reason to be afraid of the Northern League--
With the corners of her mouth twisted, the Sith sister laughs.
And after a few days of this, it is decided that Tida, the one who steals the logic of darkness, and Fafner, the one who steals the logic of blood, will also head to the front line.
-- a move that is too strong for the Foozeyards nation, which will worsen the relationship between North and South.
I felt in the backward Hoosiers that the world's currents were going around at a brisk pace and everything was going to take a turn for the worse.
First, the famous 'strongest' dragon man, Seldra, would single-handedly become the 'one who steals the reason for nothingness' against the appearance of the three knights. Furthermore, inspired by the 'Northern League', the 'Northern League' completes a well-controlled 'Fiend' unit ahead of schedule.
Furthermore, although the "Southern League" was established in the name of the Apostles, the countries that were dissatisfied with the fact that it was led by the Fooziers revolted.
At that time, we see that the 'witchcraft' that my master and I spread for life has been converted to military use. In order to curb the overflow, the master who spread it and us would fly from place to place.
-- I continued to watch next to him as the fading of the master's face gradually deepened.
Most decisive was the worsening of Sister Yotaki's illness.
Over the past few years, many researchers and supplies had been gathered, and the treatment techniques should have been enhanced. However, none of those new treatments had worked.
The end of the fourth year.
Seeing how Sister Yotaki's symptoms, which should have been gradually recovering, worsened as if they were rewinding time, the master questioned the doctor in charge, Master Di Prakra-sama.
''-- Why is that? Why is the condition of the Yangtze waterfall getting worse ......? I've collected people and things as you said, Diprakra. The environment is much, much better than it was in the beginning, so how come ......!
Sorry, Vortex Wave. ...... I don't know why. All the reasoning that had been in place up to this point has suddenly become completely incomprehensible ......
In a room in the Hoozeyards Castle, the two men facing each other were discussing with a tense look on their faces.
To the master, who had an unusually accusatory tone, all the while, Master Diprakra kept replying, "I don't know".
Both of them are serious, which is why I am unable to speak, as I am refraining from being near them.
Even if I knew the truth that the two of them are seeking, I can't answer them.
The reason for sister Yangtaki's ill health is probably the 'thread' in the example. That thing is accelerating the transport of the 'Demon Poison' and making the symptoms of the disease worse to all intents and purposes.
I'm the only one who can see the strings at the moment. It's impossible for two people who can't see the threads to solve this problem.
What's more, I know that Yotaki's sister is in complete control of the strings.
In other words, right now Yotaki sister is manipulating the amount of "Demon Poison" she is carrying, and she is under a grand hypothetical illness.
Even if I explained that to them, they wouldn't believe it.
Even if I told them that there was an invisible 'thread' there, they would not be able to prove it unless sister Yangtaki agreed to it. Rather than agreeing with me, sister Yotaki would try to get me to isolate myself.
As a death-prone person, I had no choice but to be cautious.
As I was watching the situation as it flowed, my numbed master made his move.
'Diprakra-san, where is the Sith?'
...... You're not going to rely on that guy, are you? You can't do that! If it was a Sith back in the day, but the Sith of today are clearly not acting right! You and the Sith have clashed many times over the treatment of 'people'!
'Just because! You can't just go on like this, can you!
Calm down, Vortex. Wait a little longer. This is really strange. Even if Yangtaki's disease cannot be cured, there is no reason for it to get worse. What is theoretically impossible is happening now.
'Yes, I know! I heard that Yangtze is getting worse now! If this is the case, it could mean that we'll be back to the state we were in before we came to this other world--that state!
Gather the information first. You're just getting used to the quantification, aren't you? If we go ahead with this, we'll find out why.
"--Hey! What a long time!
Master interrupted Master Diprakra's statement with a loud voice.
He also spewed out complaints that he hadn't been able to say before today.
''You guys will be happy with Yotaki's death if you can find out what caused it! But I'm not! If Yangfeng isn't cured, it means nothing! Do you understand that!
Yes, that's ....... Of course, I know that. ......
Pressed by the swordsmanship, Diprakra-sama broke out in a cold sweat. Then, just like the Sith sister, her voice trembled somewhat deceptively.
''Is it true?''
Quickly, the master confirmed it.
It was nothing short of questioning the conscience of the apostle that he had believed in until today.
''It's true, .......''
Even though he couldn't answer immediately, Master Diprakra certainly nodded.
In front of him, the master bit his lip. It's easy to see how irritated he is.
With himself unable to save a single sister - he's probably shaken by his inability to become his sister's 'ideal' - and at the end of it all, Master starts to move as he's trapped.
'Excuse me, Mr. Diprakra. I'm going to go listen to the Sith.
As the older brother who saves his sister no matter what, he leaves with his back to Diprakra-sama.
I panic and try to follow his back.
'O Vortex Wave, ....... Nah, why not ....... Why does this happen--
Behind me, the apostle was lamenting.
I know the answer to that question.
I don't have to look into his eyes to feel it on my skin.
There is a sense of being continually pushed back and being led there.
This is how the master and I are both directed down to her (・・・・・・).
The stage was completely set.
Just as I finished my talk with Master Diprakra, Sister Sis was in the great hall of the castle.
Her master, who had reached her earlier, was talking with her.
''Yes, of course. Even if Diprakra can't--''
It's a response from the Sis sister that I can only assume was predetermined.
I could only think of it as being scripted rather than staged.
'-- I can help you (・・・・・・・・・). No, is it correct to say that I know how to do that?
The Sith sister, who was more arrogant than she once was, boasted that there was a better way to do things than the idea she once had.
When Master heard that, a slight hope oozed across his much faded face.
''But that method is far too difficult. First of all, you need to fully understand the poison in this world, at the very least.''
As if to test it, the Sith sister shakes her mentor. It's a bit challenging these days, probably because she's clashed with her master about morality (morals) many times.
''Poison--? Oh, the magic of this world we can control better than anyone else! Hey, Tiara!
Master insists that he's fine with it because he also has a collaborator in me.
To that I hesitate slightly and then respond with my chest.
'...... Exactly! Who do you think saved this country! There's no one who can manipulate magic better than me and Master!
'Oh. Come to think of it, you guys named this magic power. Ufufu, magic power ....... And 'magic power conversion'. You have a good sense. I'll say that next time too--
I felt the pages turn over with a crunch and vigor.
I couldn't stop it. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I think I was enjoying this new trend more than the skill 'reading' could foresee. I couldn't stop it, because it was a development and choice of words - a development and choice of words that understood well the preferences of the person I am - and I couldn't stop it.
The "contract" between the "Apostle" and the "Gentile" was being made.
The Sis sister preferred the 'contract' over anyone else.
Now, she approaches us as if it is the only thing in the world that can be believed.
''--I'll do whatever it takes to make a 'contract' ....... For Yangtaki's sake, I won't hesitate anymore! I won't make that mistake again!
The master gave a very master-like immediate answer to that.
The Sis sister also returns the approval very much like a Sis sister.
''Very well...''
At that moment, I felt a slight maliciousness behind my Sith sister's smile.
'............!'
The owner of that malicious intent is not the Sith sister.
The destination of the malice is not the master.
-- this is the malice that Yotaki sister directed at me.
In the face of that challenging malice, I gasp.
Then I begin to see the page where Sister Yotaki and Sister Sis have joined me in the "adventure" that was just the two of us, without the need to use the skill "Reading", Master and I.